Dante's Reveal
by zarqa
Summary: It's all been building up to this. Father-son revealed. Dante & Lulu consummate. Family is family. I'm totally new to fanfic so I wrote this in screenplay format. Please R & R!
1. The Reveal

INT. CORINTHOS LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

DANTE walks into SONNY's living room and sees Sonny and OLIVIA standing near the French door, kissing and holding each other passionately. They stop when he walks in. Olivia sees Dante's face contort in anger.

OLIVIA

(hand to her mouth in shock)

No, it's not...

Dante charges towards Sonny, grabs him by the collar and pins him against the wall. He starts hitting him on the face repeatedly. Sonny is surprised but laughs his cruel little laugh.

SONNY

(laughing)

What is this Dominic, did you want her for yourself?

Dante hits him harder and harder.

OLIVIA

(crying)

No, no, no!

DANTE

(shouting)

You sick freak! She's my mother!

OLIVIA

(shouting)

No! Dante, stop! He's your father!

Dante stops hitting Sonny. He still has a hold of his collar. Father and son look at each other, with the same stunned expression. They stare at each other's faces, and as Dante lets go of Sonny's collar, they both look to Olivia.

SONNY

(stammering)

Dante? He's? What?

Olivia is distraught, in tears. She ignores Sonny and focuses on Dante.

OLIVIA

(pleading)

Baby, he's your father. I wanted to tell you. I just... couldn't. I just wanted to keep you safe. You're my baby. I'm so sorry. I wanted to keep you safe.

Dante looks again at Sonny, confused. Sonny is still looking at Olivia, his mouth open, in shock.

Dante is behind the couch, Sonny is at the French door and Olivia is behind the chair. Dante's arms flail helplessly.

DANTE

(crying)

No, no, this can't be! What? How? No!

He swipes his arm over the console table and knocks down most of everything on it. He reaches for a tchotchke still left on the table, a marble ball, and throws it against the mirror behind Sonny's desk. The mirror cracks and the camera catches the reflection of the three in it.

Dante is trying to find something else to throw or knock down. He is waving his hands around and is crying. Unconsciously, his hands land on Olivia's coat, strewn over the back of the couch. It's a black wool winter pea coat. His eyes aren't focused on anything. He's enraged, crazy, crying. His hands are bloody from hitting Sonny. He picks up the coat and grabs fistfuls of it. The coat goes to his face and he smells his mother's perfume. He screams a primal scream and cries angrily. He throws the coat back down and runs out of the room and out of the house.

OLIVIA

(crying after him)

Dante, please. I never wanted this to happen. Please, Dante. I love you baby.

As Dante rushes out, Sonny finally moves from where he's been frozen, tears welled up in his eyes. He wipes some blood from the corner of his mouth and feels the growing lump on his forehead where he was just repeatedly hit. He shrugs the mobster shrug, walks toward the liquor table, pours himself two fingers of scotch, and looks down at the glass. His shoulders weaken and he hiccups a soft cry. He shrugs his shoulders back up to the mobster shrug and pours two more fingers of scotch. He takes a stiff gulp of the drink. Olivia has collapsed on the couch and is weeping copiously, head in her hands.

INT. MAXI & LULU's APARTMENT FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

LULU walks up to the front door of her apartment and finds Dante sitting on the floor, his head in his hands.

LULU

(cheerily)

I've been trying to reach you. The day has just been crazy. Frederico screwed something up and Maxie...

She trails off when Dante looks up from the floor and she sees his swollen, tear-filled eyes.

LULU (CON'T)

(gasping)

Oh!

Lulu lifts Dante to his feet, and rushes to open the door to let him in.

INT. MAXI & LULU'S APARTMENT LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Dante and Lulu enter the apartment.

LULU

(stammering)

what happened? Are you...?

Dante's body is weak; he can barely walk.

DANTE

I just.... He's my father. Sonny corinthos is my father. Can I please just stay....I don't care, I'll sleep on the couch. Please, can I just stay with you. Tonight?

Lulu's mouth opens in shock. She starts to say something but then takes a deep breath. She takes Dante's hand and leads him to the couch. She kisses his forehead and his eyes. Dante's face is red and swollen from crying but the anger is spent and he's calm. Her mouth lingers at the little mole on the left side of his nose. She holds his face close. A tear falls down his left cheek. She wipes it away and kisses the spot where it was. He moves her hair away from her face and brings her mouth down to his. They kiss, deeply, for a long time.

LULU

(rising and taking Dante's hand)

Come here...You're not staying on the couch.

She leads him to her bedroom.

INT. CORINTHOS LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Sonny is grimacing over his glass of scotch while Olivia sits on the couch, stunned.

SONNY

So this is what you meant when you said you've seen the best in me...you've had the best of me? You've had the best of me and kept him from me all these years?

He chokes up and then throws his glass into the fireplace.

SONNY (CON'T)

(shouting)

How could you keep my son away from me all these years, Olivia? How could you do that?

Olivia snaps out of her shock and quickly rises off the couch.

OLIVIA

Sonny, what was I supposed to do? You were 17 years old and already a thug. Already mixed up with Joe Scully. I could see as clear as day the path you were taking. I couldn't bring a child into that! And, besides, you left me for Connie, remember? You didn't want me anyway. Look, I did whatever I could do, I spent my entire life, making sure that Dante stayed clear of the path you took. I kept my boy safe. And he was loved, by me, by my family. He became a beautiful man. You can see that, right? I saved him from you, Sonny.

Olivia trails off, thinking she's said too much, that she's hurt Sonny too much. She's hurt them all too much. She quickly gathers her coat and heads towards the door.

OLIVIA

I have to find him. I have to make this right.

Sonny's head hangs low. He stumbles to the couch and collapses weakly. He wipes more blood from his face and stares at it. He's in his Dark Place.

INT. LULU'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Lulu and Dante settle into bed.

DANTE

I'm sorry. I wanted our first time to be...special.

Lulu takes his face in her hands.

LULU

It is special. You're special. You're... It's okay.

She kisses him and they proceed to make beautifully choreographed love. The scene cuts away and comes back to them, still making love. It cuts away again and comes back again and they are still making love, Dante moving slowly on top of Lulu. When their eyes momentarily meet, her eyes sparkle with pleasure and she smiles a soft small smile. Dante's eyes are still full of pain but he sighs with relief as he sinks down into her. The scene cuts away again.

Lulu is asleep on the left side of the bed. She's wearing a t-shirt, her hair is tousled. Her right hand is woven into Dante's hair and her left hand is on his bare chest. He is propped up a little, awake, his eyes still red and hurt. He flashes back to a (heretofore unseen) vision of a young Olivia looking down at him with white light around her (ie she's looking down directly at the camera).

OLIVIA

(in a hazy vision)

I'm so proud of you, my baby boy. You've made me so proud, becoming who you've become, despite not having a father around.

Dante blinks in pain.

Lulu wakes up, and, noticing that Dante is already awake, gets up in bed and pulls the covers up around her. She gazes at him.

LULU

(hesitatingly)

So. Do you want to tell me what happened...?

Dante's left hand idly goes to Lulu's hair. He shrugs up a little more in bed.

DANTE

I walked in on them. His hands all over her. This monster pawing at my mother. I just lost it. I wanted to kill him.

His eyes well up again as he remembers the rage.

DANTE (CON'T)

Then she just said it. Just like that: he's your father.

He stops and gazes into the distance.

DANTE (CON'T)

And now I'm thinking. It makes sense, you know? How weird she was when she found out I was working this case. I thought it was just because they had been friends way back when. But... It makes sense, right?

He turns to Lulu and sits up a little in bed. He looks directly at her.

DANTE (CON'T)

Tell me. You know him and you know me. It makes sense, right? You see him in me, right?

LULU

(shaking head emphatically)

No. Dante, you know it takes more than biology to make a father. You said you had a perfectly normal childhood. You were loved, taken care of. No, Dante, there is none of Sonny in you!

She pauses, thinks, and gradually stops shaking her head.

LULU (CON'T)

No...I don't know...


	2. Sonny tells the family

INT. CORINTHOS LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

SONNY is on the couch looking at the blood on his hands, absently examining how it sticks to his fingers. There is some lighthearted banter coming from the foyer. MORGAN and MIKE enter the living room, with Mike's hand on Morgan's shoulder and Morgan holding a baseball mitt. Morgan skips towards his father on the couch.

MORGAN  
(punching his baseball mitt)  
Dad, you won't believe it. Granddad and I just saw the most incredible game!

Morgan stops mid-skip when he sees the blood on Sonny's face and hands.

MORGAN (CON'T)  
(hesitantly)  
Dad, are you okay?

Mike sees Sonny's distraught condition and puts his arm back around Morgan's shoulder to try to lead him away.

MIKE  
Morgan, son, maybe we should come back at another time. I'm sure your Dad will want to hear all about our game when he feels...better.

Sonny looks up for the first time since the two entered. He wipes his hands on his knees.

SONNY  
(gesturing)  
No, no, Mike. I'm fine. Come here, you two. This is something that concerns the both of you. Come on in. Mike, you want to grab some water for yourself and Morgan?

Mike hesitates but lets go of Morgan's shoulders. He goes to the bar to get two bottles of water. Sonny pats the couch, gesturing for Morgan to join him there. Morgan gingerly complies.

SONNY (CON'T)  
(turning to face Morgan)  
Now, Morgan...

He stops and tries to clear the frog in his throat. He is on the verge of tears.

SONNY (CON'T)  
Now, Morgan, you know how much your mother and I....you know how much I love you, right? You're my boy. You are the best...the best thing I ever did. I would do anything...I would never let anything bad happen to you, right?

MORGAN  
(sad and a bit scared)  
Yeah, I know all that Dad.

Sonny puts his arms up to embrace Morgan but stops.

SONNY  
Look, I don't mean to scare you. Look...

MORGAN  
(starting to cry)  
What is it Dad? Is it something I did, or Michael?

Sonny quickly takes Morgan's head in this hands. He kisses him on the forehead and lingers there, inhaling his scent. He stares directly into Morgan's eyes.

SONNY  
(pointedly)  
No, you did not do anything wrong.

Sonny lets go of Morgan's head and turns back inward. Mike returns with the water bottles and hands one to Morgan. Morgan takes it, gazes at it a bit, and puts it on the table.

MIKE  
Look, Sonny. You don't have to do this. We can come back later. It's okay. Do you really think Morgan should see...this...?

SONNY  
(drawling)  
Come on, Mike. I said sit.

Mike sighs and sits on the stage right end of the couch. Sonny is sitting on the stage left end and Morgan is in the middle. Mike opens his water bottle and takes a swig.

SONNY (CON'T)  
Now, you both know Dominic, right? Mike, you know the kid who works for me, saved Morgan's life at the carnival, lives at Kelly's? You've seen him around, right?

MIKE  
Sure, Sonny, I know Dominic.

SONNY  
(smiling ruefully)  
Well....it turns out that Dominic is really Dante Falconeri, Olivia's grown son. Can you believe that?

Sonny laughs a little maniacal laugh. Mike looks at Sonny, speechless. Morgan is tense, his gaze directed at the table.

MORGAN  
(on the verge of tears and starting to get a little angry)  
Yeah, Dad, so what? What's that have to do with us? He's a good guy, no matter what his name is, Dad. Are you upset because he and Ms Falconeri lied to you?

Sonny cracks a cynical smile.

SONNY  
Mike, you weren't around back then, you had already left to do your thing, but you know that Olivia and I had a little something going on in high school?

Mike nods slowly.

SONNY (CON'T)  
(smiling)  
Well, it turns out that Dominic..Dante...is my son with Olivia. I'm the father he never knew about. Dante is your grandson Mike. And Morgan: Dante is your brother.

Morgan stares out at the coffee table. Mike sighs deeply.

MIKE  
(genuine, contrite)  
Sonny, I'm sorry. I can imagine the pain it must have caused you to find out. To know that he'd been kept from you all these years.

MORGAN  
(snapping out of his reverie and cheering up a little)  
But you know now. So everything is okay, right? I like him, Dad. I like that he's my brother.

Sonny kisses Morgan on the forehead again. Sonny's cynical attitude is gone and he nods at both his father and his son.


	3. Kelly's Comfort

INT. KELLY'S DINER - MORNING

DANTE walks into Kelly's and looks around. He sees MIKE hunched over the counter talking confidentially and seriously to KRISTINA. Dante nods at them and walks over.

DANTE

(feigning cheer)

I guess you two heard the big news of the day, huh?

MIKE

(hesitant)

Yeah, Morgan and I were at Sonny's last night.

Dante scans Mike's face, looking for clues, similarities, between himself and his grandfather. He wants to ask about Sonny, if he's okay, but he won't.

KRISTINA

(hesitant)

Was Dad really furious when he found out? He must have gone crazy on you. It was a pretty big lie.

DANTE

(a bit pissed)

It wasn't my lie.

Dante scans Kristina's face just as he scanned Mike's and his face softens. He starts to say something but Kristina interrupts him.

KRISTINA

Um, okay, so, welcome to the family, I guess. See you around.

She waves clumsily as she rushes out of the diner.

MIKE

Look, Dom...er, Dante, however this pans out, you should know...I mean you've shown us pretty clearly the kind of man you are: saving Morgan's life, I'm sure covering for Sonny on many occasions. You're obviously a good guy...And I'm proud...to call you my grandson.

Mike chokes up a little and reaches his hand out for Dante to shake. They shake hands and Mike reaches up to pat Dante's face affectionately. Dante smiles and nods.


	4. Eggplant parm with a nice red

INT. OLIVIA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

OLIVIA hurriedly finishes getting all the food on the table when she hears a knock. She smoothes down her apron and goes to the door. DANTE stands outside, unsmiling, apprehensive.

DANTE

Hiya, Ma.

Olivia nods and gives him a contrite glance, then ushers him in and takes his coat.

OLIVIA

Sit down, baby. What do you want to drink? I just got this great red. I think it'll go well with the dinner I made for us.

Dante looks at the table heaped with all his favorite foods.

DANTE

Ma, I didn't come here to eat. And who else are you expecting? There's enough here to feed all the homeless camped outside the Brooklyn Armory.

His eyes betray him as he looks over the food, inhales the scents of his mother's cooking and rubs his empty stomach.

OLIVIA

Oh, I know, honey. You probably don't have much of an appetite and I know you must have a lot of questions. But you gotta eat, you know?

Dante reluctantly takes the glass of red his mother offers him and goes to sit at the table. He unfolds his napkin on his lap, breaks off a hunk of freshly baked bread and pours some olive oil into a dish. Olivia smiles as she pours her own glass of wine. She walks to the table and glances at it, making sure everything is in place. Still wearing her apron, she sits at the table next to her son, but without a plate in front of her.

DANTE

You're not eating?

OLIVIA

(dismissively waving her hand)

Nah.

Olivia takes a deep breath and gazes at the table, avoiding looking at Dante. Dante dips his bread in the oil and takes a big bite. He washes it down with a swig of wine.

OLIVIA (CON'T)

So...what questions do you have...let me have 'em.

DANTE

Well, for starters, Ma: What the hell? Why didn't you tell me I had a monster for a father?

OLIVIA

(chuckling sarcastically)

Well, you answered your own question there, didn't you.

Dante grunts an affirmation, gazes out at the table, and serves himself some eggplant parm.

OLIVIA (CON'T)

Look, Dante, I know it sounds like a tired cliche but you can never truly understand what it's like to be a parent until you become one yourself. You carry this life inside you, watching what you eat and drink for the first time ever. You don't go out with your friends to look at lightning storms because you don't want to invite any wrath of God your way.

Plus, I was fifteen. Fifteen, Dante. I had no clue what I was going to do with a baby. But I knew I had a strong support system. Your grandmother, God rest her soul, and your uncles. I knew I'd be depending on them a lot and they'd be there for me.

The first three months after you were born, forget about it, you may as well have stayed inside. If it wasn't for a little compromise in evolution, you would have. How attached you were to me, waking and sleeping, eating and breathing, me, all the time. I was so in love with you from the first minute I laid eyes, but I was scared as hell. Scared that I couldn't live up to how much you needed me.

DANTE

Ma, we're Catholic, what is this evolution crap?

They both smile sheepishly.

OLIVIA

And then you started growing, becoming your own separate person. God, how I loved watching you grow...The most adorable kid in the neighborhood. Your uncles doting on you...I thought about telling you at first, but I guess after a while, seeing how happy and healthy you were..I didn't see the point in interjecting some random knowledge into your life.

DANTE

Random knowledge, Ma? Half of me comes from him! You told me you had no idea who my father was. How about that knowledge Ma? The knowledge that my mother was a...I dealt with that well enough right?

OLIVIA

(contrite)

See, Dante, I would have rather you think that of me, then to tell you the truth. That's how much I wanted to protect you. Sonny was already a gangster. He'd already left the neighborhood so it wasn't like you'd be running into him at the corner deli anytime soon. I just didn't see the point in burdening you with the knowledge that he was your father. He was gone, out of my life. And Connie too, with her grand reinvention of herself. The two people who could have screwed things up for me most royally were gone. All I had was you. And my sole job on this earth was to raise you into the man you've become.

Dante looks hard at his mother with a deep love in his eyes. Olivia pours more wine for the both of them.

OLIVIA (CON'T)

You remember that girl at St. Finbar Elementary, what was her name...Angie Bianci? Your uncle Angelo told me you confided in him that you were going to ask her out to the 6th grade dance. Ah, you were a sight to see that day. All bright eyed, clean shirt, excited about going to school, for once. And then come 3 o'clock, I look out my kitchen window and who do I see wearing the saddest puss ever, kicking a can all the way down Bay 19th St?

Baby, the hurt in your face. I knew what had happened and I couldn't say anything. All I could do was fix you supper and make sure you got your homework done that night.

DANTE

Yeah, Ma, Angie: she was already, like, 6 feet tall in the sixth grade. I was an idiot for thinking she'd ever want to go to a dance or anywhere else with a skinny stump like me.

OLIVIA

That pain in your face over having your heart broken. It was like a dagger to my heart. Multiply that by a million and maybe you'll understand how afraid I was. How heart broken I thought you'd be if you ever knew the truth about Sonny. He was a damaged kid, baby. Coming from that house. His stepfather used to beat his ma right in front him. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about it and no one could do anything because Deke was a cop.

DANTE

So you slept with Sonny because you felt sorry for him?

OLIVIA

No, no, it wasn't about that. He was my first love. He was a charmer, your father. Despite the violence he came from...that smile that could light a fire. No one could resist that. He could charm the pants off...

Olivia trails off, remembering who she is talking to, embarassed. Dante's face softens. He nibbles at this food.

Both mother and son sense that hashing things out like this has been a good start. But both wonder what comes next.


	5. Getting out of Dodge

**Author's note**: In a rush to work through some of the meatier stuff coming later, I put this little transition off till now. Screenplay format may be weird to read for some of you (it is a bit easier if you go to half screen) I apologize, but, really, if I stop to refashion this into short fiction, I fear I won't get all of it out. (and there's a lot of it in my head right now that needs to get out!) Enjoy and please share your thoughts!

INT. OLIVIA'S APARTMENT - EVENING

DANTE and OLIVIA sit at the cleared dinner table, espressos in front of them and a plate of biscotti.

DANTE  
Look, Ma, there's still a lot for me to think about. The investigation. It won't be long before I'm exposed as a cop. Maybe it's a good time for me to get out of town for a while. Even if Sonny and Jason don't figure it out, we've got Sheriff Jax over here, thinking he can help my investigation somehow, when all he's really done is waste my time.

Olivia nods and breaths a sigh of relief that her son is finally coming to his senses and getting clear of this volatile situation. Dante takes a sip of the espresso.

DANTE (CON'T)  
You know, I see men like Jax, who think they are on the right side of the law. The greed with which they do their business, the daily manipulations just to get ahead. I don't know, am I really on the same side as a guy like that? He'd sellout his own stepson, any member of his family, just to get one over on Sonny. Aren't he and Sonny just two sides of the same coin? They're both selfish manipulators.

His eyes grow distant as he realizes he has uttered his father's name for the first time since the big revelation, and he frowns.

DANTE (CON'T)  
(putting his hands up in defeat)  
Maybe it's time for me to just give up for a while. I haven't had a break since I came on this case anyway. First, all the work I did infiltrating the Zacchara organization and now the months I've spent on Sonny. The department wants a resolution, sure, but they also don't want a burnt out cop, a hair trigger away from exposing his cover.

OLIVIA  
You're not going to get any argument from me, baby. I've been telling you to leave town for weeks.

They both rise from the table, Olivia gets Dante's coat and helps him get into it. She reaches down to his bruised hands and rubs them.

OLIVIA (CON'T)  
(looking deeply into Dante's eyes)  
You know, Dante, how madly crazy I love you right? No one could ever love you as much as I do.

DANTE  
I know Ma. Right back at you.

They embrace tightly.

DANTE  
Look, I've asked Ronny to keep an eye out for you. Let him do his job, okay? I know that he...Sonny..would never hurt you but, still, I don't want any of his crap to go down on you, Ma. I'll call you from wherever I end up. You take care of yourself, okay?

OLIVIA  
Always, baby.

INT. SONNY'S LIVING ROOM - LATE MORNING

SONNY, with overcoat in hand, is on the phone talking with an employee.

SONNY  
Yeah, I just heard Luis Reno's in Miami. Get my plane ready, I'm going down there to take care of this myself. No, no...I know...just get my plane ready!

Sonny frowns and starts to sift through his mail. He stops at a personally addressed envelope, opens it, and pulls out a picture of a little boy, the same picture of a little boy he has seen at Olivia's place. He stares long at the boy's face and traces it with his finger. Also inside the envelope is a hand written note, which reads: "Thought you might like this -Olivia." He tucks the picture into the inside pocket of his coat. His phone rings.

SONNY  
(impatient)  
Yeah, I'm going to Miami, Bernie. What is it with all my employees questioning my decisions lately? Look, Bernie, do me a favor: put a couple guys on Dominic for me. No, I'm not suspicious of anything. Just make sure he's protected, okay. Yeah...okay...no...bye, Bernie.

JASON enters the room, tense, apprehensive. He scans Sonny's face and is taken aback by the bruises. Sonny passes his overcoat back and forth between his hands, trying to figure out if he should put it on or throw it down.

JASON  
You going somewhere?

SONNY  
(voice laced with sarcasm)  
Yeah, Reno needs to be taken care of. I need a vacation. Off to Miami I go.

JASON  
Look, Sonny, I ran into Mike. He told me. Dominic is Dante? And your son? Are you sure it's true?

SONNY  
Of course, it's true, Jason. Just look at him. Dark hair, a little on the short side, ambitious as hell. He's my son. It's as clear as day, I don't know why I didn't figure it out before. Looking at him has always been like looking in a mirror and seeing who I could have been if I hadn't had all this hurt and rage put into me by Deke. He's more of a son than I'll ever deserve that's for sure.

Sonny throws his overcoat on the couch and goes to the bar.

SONNY (CON'T)  
(as he's fixing himself a drink)  
Look, this business with Michael. I'm going to trust you to handle it okay? Carly wants to go to the cops. You can't let that happen.

He takes a stiff swig of his drink, turns to Jason and glares, his eyes pained.

SONNY (CON'T)  
I stole that boy from AJ, from you. For what? So that I could turn him into me? He may not have been any better off with the Quartermaines but at least he wouldn't have become a killer. Why did I do this myself, Jason? Why did I let myself believe that I could make a family, bring children into this life? Kristina with that punk kid, who I _know_ is up to no good. You know, Morgan, was here with Mike? He saw all of this. I scared him half to death. I don't deserve any of them.

JASON  
Maybe Michael would have been better off with AJ, who knows? I know Carly would have never allowed that to happen, so rehashing ancient history isn't useful at this point. Whatever happened with Michael is as much my fault as it is yours. I'll carry that with me forever. But this thing with Dominic? You had no idea, right? How is the fact that he's in this business your fault? That's one thing that's not on you, Sonny.

Sonny sighs deeply and absorbs the absolution that Jason has delivered yet again. He pats Jason on the back, picks up his overcoat and walks out, leaving Jason looking on after him.


	6. Come with me

INT. DANTE'S ROOM AT KELLY'S - MORNING

LULU enters DANTE's room to find him packing up a duffel bag. She stops at the doorway and her mouth hangs open with surprise and disappointment.

LULU  
(muttering under her breath)  
I knew it.

Dante turns to see her standing in the doorway and offers a smile welcoming her in.

DANTE  
Oh, good, you're here. I was just about to call you.

When he notices the wounded expression on Lulu's face, Dante stops smiling. He's alarmed by Lulu's posture: she's standing as if afraid she'll step on a landmine if she takes one more step. His face softens and his eyes attempt to caress away the doubts so obviously keeping Lulu from entering his room.

DANTE  
(softly, hushed)  
Look, Lulu, I'm not leaving you. I'm not leaving this amazing thing we've started.

Lulu takes a breath but she is still frozen at the doorway. She looks Dante up and down and then turns halfway back out the door, poised to make a run for it. Dante puts down the clothes he is folding into his bag and rushes to her, reaching out for her arms.

DANTE  
(gently imploring)  
Come here...you're not running away from me...come here.

His grip on her arms remains steadfast until she struggles a bit. He immediately lets go.

DANTE  
(frustrated and impatient)  
Look...how could you think...? The other night...you saved me, Lulu. How could you ever think I'd leave you after that remarkable night we shared.

LULU  
(choked up)  
Then what is this?

Dante sighs with relief that she's finally speaking to him.

DANTE  
I'm not leaving us, okay? But I do need to leave town for a little while. Process all that's happened.

Lulu softens a bit but still looks apprehensive and confused.

DANTE  
Look, I just found out the mobster that I've been trying to put away for the past few months is my father. My father, Lulu. I need to get away, think about that for a while. The man responsible for Vince Poletti's death, for countless other deaths...

Dante's eyes go dark and distant. He turns to look directly at Lulu with a concentrated seriousness.

DANTE  
How is it that I share DNA with a man who would so cold-bloodedly mow down someone as heroic, as stand-up a guy, as Officer Poletti? This is a man who absolutely gloats about off-ing his own wife and burying her in a shallow grave somewhere. Half of who I am comes from a ruthless monster. How can I not wonder how much of that monster is inside of me?

He goes dark again but shakes off the whirl of thoughts spinning around in this head, and continues packing his bag. Lulu is visibly relieved, though still uncertain of whether Dante is making a rational decision or is simply being driven away by fear of the unknown.

LULU  
Are you sure this is a good time for you to leave? Won't sonny suspect something?

DANTE  
That's just it, Lulu: my cover is in tact for now but I don't know how much longer before Sonny and Jason put two and two together. The investigation is at a stalemate anyway. I'm further away than ever from gathering evidence on Claudia's murder. It's not happening. Jax is coming out of left field, inexplicably getting in the middle of this, yanking my chain. Besides there's all kinds of conflict of interest now. I don't know what Sonny will think of me leaving town, and, frankly, I don't care...

LULU  
(holding back tears)  
Okay, so you just need a vacation and you'll be back. I respect that you're monumentally confused about what to do next and I know you simply have to do what you have to do. I'm pretty confused myself. All I do know for sure is that I want you safe, Dante.

Lulu makes every attempt to cloak the hurt she feels with indifference. Dante can see right through it. He zips up his bag, sighs deeply and goes to her.

DANTE  
(whispering)  
Look, why don't you come with me?

Lulu is taken aback, speechless. She's lived a life sheltered from danger, in the strange paradox of being overly protected, while still, alone. She's heard stories all her life about the adventures her parents had before she was born. And she lives daily with the worry that Lucky will turn down the wrong corner one day or that Nicholas will brood his life away in that awful turret, and a new worry now that Ethan, eager for their father's affections, will be ultimately disappointed, just as she had been so many times. Her brothers have always protected her. But, the times when she's needed them most, they've always been all kinds of unavailable. She's had to navigate the minefield alone. Until now. This man is actually asking her to join him. He trusts her and believes in her enough to allow her completely into his life.

LULU  
(stammering)  
Uh, Kate...Maxie...there's a spring show to plan...uh.

DANTE  
(smiling, whispering)  
Upstate New York is no place to be in winter. Let's head south, some place a little warmer?

Lulu's heart is racing and she giggles nervously.

LULU  
Uh, okay. Yeah, okay! Kate owes me some time anyway...I don't have..a bag...anything with me, though.

DANTE  
(flash of a wide smile)  
Okay, then! We'll swing by your place and pick up what you need. I don't think we'll be needing those cocktail dresses you wear to work though.

Dante and Lulu's smiles mirror each other. They head out the door, their steps a little lighter in anticipation of shedding all the anxieties woven into this little town. Leaving them behind, at least temporarily.


	7. Hitting it out of the park

EXT. KELLY'S DINER - MORNING

DANTE and LULU run into MORGAN as they're leaving Kelly's. Lulu motions that she will wait for Dante ahead. Morgan looks at the bag over Dante's shoulder.

MORGAN  
You're leaving?

DANTE  
Just for a little while, Morgan. I'll be back sooner than you can rattle off Jeter's stats. You still owe me a game of stick ball. I was going to show you Brooklyn style, remember?

They linger a bit and search each other's faces.

MORGAN  
(apprehensive)  
Can I call you Dante, now?

DANTE  
(quietly)  
Yeah, slugger, you can call me Dante.

MORGAN  
(smiling shyly)  
You know, I haven't really figured out yet whether you're a lame gangster or an even lamer boy scout. But I'm glad you're my brother.

DANTE  
(smiling gently and ruffling Morgan's hair)  
Hey, don't go taking any walks in the woods until I'm back to protect you from the bears, okay?

MORGAN  
(wiggling out of the hair ruffle)  
They actually don't have that many bears in upstate New York, and it's not like you'd recognize the difference between a bear and a chipmunk anyway.

DANTE  
Oo, nice shot, kid. You know us city kids grow up so sensitive.

They smile at each other, Dante pats Morgan on the shoulder and walks towards Lulu.

EXT. BUS STOP - MORNING

Dante helps Lulu board a bus and looks around behind him. Not seeing anyone, he follows Lulu onto the bus. Watching from around a corner are two of Sonny's men.

INT. BUS - MORNING

Dante and Lulu are on board a bus in motion. They sit on the left side of the aisle, Lulu has the window seat.

LULU  
(anxious)  
I feel like I should explain...why I was so weirded out...walking into your place to find you packing a bag.

DANTE  
You thought I was leaving without so much as a goodbye. You were wrong. I think we're pretty clear on that.

LULU  
Yeah, Dante, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. My parents supposedly had the greatest love story of all time. They had this massive love for each other that carried them through the craziest stuff. But it didn't last. The perfect love didn't last. So, not only do I have this crippling fear of things ending badly, I also have a pretty tough time letting them start.

Dante nods and takes Lulu's hand. She unconsciously accepts his hand in hers. Her eyes are distant, lost in thought.

LULU  
It's like there's this mantra ingrained in my head: It'll end badly anyway so why even start. And all the little starts and endings along the way? It all just makes me tired, Dante. It makes me feel older than I should. When I saw you packing your bags, all I could think of was to run as fast and as far as I possibly could. Just run and not look back.

DANTE  
(understanding and conciliatory)  
Lulu, you know, it would be great if good stuff lasted forever and bad stuff magically disappeared, never to return again. But who says we have to work towards forever? Why must these goals we set for ourselves be so impossible? Why not set little goals along the way...hunker down, commit, compromise...one little goal at a time? Then if the worst happens and things fall apart, the next goal we set can be to pick ourselves up from the ashes, wiser? Not bitter, just wiser.

Lulu softens and nods.

DANTE  
Look, love is a force of nature, bigger than the biggest hurricane when it hits you, but it doesn't have to render us blind and stupid. Accepting the lows with the highs is the only way to make anything last, Lulu.

LULU  
Yeah, I know: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I've heard that before. But what if I don't want to die all the little deaths along the way? Isn't it just better to not even try?

DANTE  
You mean not even live?

LULU  
Yeah, I guess. But that's not really an option on the table, is it.

DANTE  
No, Lulu, it's not. Not ever.

Lulu inhales deeply, looks down at Dante's hand and traces the lines on his palm with her finger.

LULU  
You know, I remember a conversation very similar to this...one I had with Sonny, around the time I was about to go...to the hospital. He was so kind and understanding, when I needed kindness and understanding the most. He shared his illness with me, how he dealt with it, the darkness and the fear.

Dante's face goes dark and he frowns.

DANTE  
Can we not talk about Sonny right now? Please?

LULU  
(shaking off the memory of her hospitalization and changing her focus)  
So right now...with me...is this a high or a low?

DANTE  
(softly laughing and grabbing her hand tightly)  
Oh, a definite high.

Lulu catches the contagiousness of Dante's laugh. She feel lighter, as if a heavy load has been lifted off her shoulders.

LULU  
(leaning closer)  
And what would be your goal tonight, officer?

DANTE  
(looking past her, out the window, smiling, then looking back at her coyly with a sparkle in this eyes)  
Oh, hitting it out of the park would just about make my night.

The bus comes to a stop. It is now late afternoon. Lulu disembarks and stretches. Once Dante is off the bus, he makes a rowing motion with his arms and swings them around, warming them up. Dante takes Lulu's hand and leads her away from the bus stop, past a chain link fence. Sounds of a batting cage are heard.

DANTE  
Hey, looks like the bus will be stopped here a while. How about loosening up some of these knots from sitting in a bus seat for so long?

LULU  
Uh, okay.

INT. BATTING CAGE - LATE AFTERNOON

Dante swings the bat and hits the ball squarely and hard. He nods and smiles with satisfaction, then turns and hands the bat to Lulu. Lulu's wrist immediately weakens with the weight of the bat but she resolutely takes it up to position on her shoulder. She shifts her weight by wiggling her hips a bit, and poises to hit. The ball comes at her, she flails the bat and lets out a little squeek. She gathers her resolve and goes back into position, ready to swing at the next ball.

DANTE  
(examining Lulu's posture from behind, frowning slightly)  
You know, your legs might be too long for this. You gotta bend your knees a little more.

LULU  
(looking back at him over her shoulder, a bit frustrated)  
Look, I don't have the arms you do, okay?

DANTE  
Believe it or not, the power behind the swing comes from your obturator muscles, not your arms.

LULU  
(dropping the bat off her shoulder and turning to look at Dante)  
Obturator muscles, officer? What, should I be calling you an orthopedist too?

DANTE  
(laughing lightly)  
What can I say, I had a crush on my biology teacher, who also happened to be the girls' hockey coach. She had obturator muscles that were out of this world. They're these muscles that run across your backside and front connecting your hips to your thighs. Right along here.

He reaches out to point to, though not touch, Lulu's backside and the front top of her thigh.

LULU  
(backing away from his pointing finger, resuming position at bat and smiling brightly)  
Okay, okay, I know where the inside of my thigh is.

She takes a swing and hits the ball.

DANTE  
(excitedly)  
Yeah! That was good. Now use your hips too, square down. Make like you're not planting with your feet, your feet are just spindly roots, you're planted to the ground with your hips.

Lulu wiggles and squares her hips down as advised. The next swing she takes hits the ball more squarely.

DANTE  
Oh, yeah, there you go!

LULU  
(concentrating on her stance, poised for the next ball, wiggling her hips)  
Should I be sticking my hips out like this?

DANTE  
(frowning, looking at Lulu's jutting backside, shaking his head, smiling desirously)  
Oh, yeah, that'll work too. Yeah, your glutes should be in there too...

Dante's words trail off, he inhales deeply and lets out an audible breath through his mouth. Though Lulu's back is turned, she senses Dante's eyes on her. Her smiling eyes focus on the ball, and she takes another swing.


	8. Planned for, wanted, loved

DANTE and LULU have been on the road for a while and have settled into a quiet camaraderie, a partnership of two souls looking for a rest. Of course, not all things are so easily put to rest.

The bus is still heading south. There is a hint of winter in the air, especially at night, but days are becoming decidedly warmer the further south they go. Dante is sitting next to the bus window staring out at the passing countryside, deep in thought and frowning. Lulu sits next to him flipping through a magazine.

LULU  
(closing the magazine on her lap)  
Penny for your thoughts.

DANTE  
Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking of the time I've spent working the case against Sonny. I sacrificed a lot but, luckily, I never got to the point where I had to kill in order to preserve my cover.

LULU  
Yeah, so reintegrating yourself into regular police work won't be as difficult now, right?

DANTE  
I don't know. Regular police work sure isn't going to give me the high that working deep undercover has.

LULU  
There will be other challenges, Dante. I mean, you are done with this case, right? Considering Sonny is...?

Dante shrugs and goes silent.

LULU (CON'T)  
Look, Dante, I know you haven't known Sonny long enough to develop any real affection for him. And maybe, regardless of the fact that he's your father, you will always hate him and what he represents. But, I'm on the ground over here and I know first hand what can happen to a kid when a parent suddenly leaves their life. It's different from when that parent is never in your life to begin with, you know?

Dante nods.

LULU (CON'T)  
And you know that when Sonny goes down, so will Jason. I know it may seem that Jason is this independent spirit and that he doesn't need anybody and has no real lasting connections, and that would be true. But so many people in this town need him. Carly, for one, would be absolutely lost without Jason.

You know Carly was pretty despised by a lot of people when she first came to town and a lot of that hatred was justified. It was my mom, actually, who first saw something good in Carly. I guess they bonded over their capacity to do absolutely anything for their kids. And then when my mother became unavailable, I sort of looked to Carly to fill that void. Anyway, she's family and I love her.

I know she has this family now with Jax and they are trying their best to make it work. But Carly's relationship with Jason: that's a whole different ballgame. I can't count the number of times she's messed up, made some erratic, irrational and impulsive decision and Jason has just swooped in with those ginormous arms of his and picked her right up out of the mess she made for herself. She'd be lost if anything happened to him.

DANTE  
Is that what you want? Some ginormous arms to swoop you up?

LULU  
No. Carly is family and we are alike in a lot of ways but...I like to think I'm a little less selfish and needy. I want to be a grown-up, you know? The house with a picket fence, a nice guy, a couple of kids, planned for, wanted, loved.

DANTE  
Oo, nice way to reuse a line!

LULU  
(defensive)  
Oh, was it a line when you said it?

DANTE  
(looking directly at her, reassuring)  
No, it wasn't. Not at all.

They reach another stop and Dante and Lulu step off the bus. They settle into a roadside diner and order some food.

DANTE  
(tentatively)  
So you said a while back that Sonny helped you through some rough times? What exactly...how did he help you?

LULU  
(uncomfortable, averting her eyes)  
Oh, he just stood in for my dad a few times....

Lulu stops pushing her food around the plate, drops her fork, and knits her hands in front of her. She breathes in deeply, resigned to the fact that the subject of her past had to come up eventually. She resolves to say what she has to say and be done with it.

LULU (CON'T)  
There was a time...Sonny found me on the docks alone late at night, upset, and no matter how much I said I just wanted to be alone, he refused to leave without knowing I was safe, without getting me to talk about what was on my mind. He basically told me that since my dad wasn't around, he was responsible for my safety. I wasn't planning on going to him for advice. I mean I'd known him since forever but he'd always been this moody, distant guy who happened to be my dad's friend. But that night he essentially convinced me I could tell him anything...and I did.

DANTE  
So what was the issue? Why were you so upset?

Lulu held her breath for a second and sighed. She looked down at her hands, uncertain how to continue or how much she should say.

LULU  
There was a guy. My first guy. His name was Dillon and he was Tracy's son.

DANTE  
So your stepbrother?

LULU  
Uh, yeah. Tracy and my dad weren't married very long then. It's not like I grew up with Dillon as my stepbrother. Anyway, he didn't love me, he was in love with someone else, Maxie's sister. They were actually married. He didn't want me, but I wanted him. And I lied. I deceived him into being with me.

DANTE  
(smiling slightly)  
Wait, I'm kind of finding this hard to believe. Why would a guy not be interested in you?

LULU  
I was really young, Dante. And stupid. Dillon and I were very different. He was all into school and wanted to be this great film director. He was like obsessed with making movies. And I was just obsessed with him. I think I just latched on to him because I wanted to get this whole "first time" thing over with.

Anyway, I deceived him and we were together. It was my first time. It was my first time and I got pregnant.

My dad wasn't around, my mom was unavailable, and Lucky was deep into his own problems. I had nobody. And Sonny was there for me.

DANTE  
You were pregnant?

LULU  
Yes. I had an abortion.

I was too young, Dante. Dillon didn't love me, he wanted the baby but he didn't want me. It was a total accident. Not something that came out of two people loving each other, even a little bit. There was no future there. And the Quartermaines were going crazy: making plans, having arguments over this new heir. More than anything I just wanted someone to tell me what to do. I was lost, alone, and no one was helping me decide what was right for me.

DANTE  
So Sonny helped you decide to have an abortion?

LULU  
No, no, it wasn't like that. He just listened to me. Dillon didn't care what I wanted; he was just angry that I had deceived him. And his family, all they wanted was the baby. Sonny, believe it or not, was the only one around who listened to me.

Dante has been listening carefully to Lulu's story and now looks away, confused, a frown growing on his brow.

DANTE  
Look, I know a woman has the right to choose. I know it's a personal decision, an issue of personal responsibility. And I swear I'm not passing judgment. But, Lulu, my mother had me when she was fifteen. She could have had an abortion. She didn't have a man who loved her either, or at least she didn't think she did. Being a devout Catholic, I'm thinking she may have had some help deciding what to do, but I'm sure the thought of aborting me did cross her mind, at least a litte bit. And she didn't. She sucked it up and she had me and raised me alone.

LULU  
I know Dante.  
You know what made the decision for me? I remembered hearing my dad say once that he never wanted me. And I swore that I would never put a child on this earth to hear that from their parent.

DANTE  
Okay, but isn't it a little unfair? That women....you have this power over human life?

LULU  
That's just it, Dante, we never asked for this power. We don't want it. But it's ours. It's our body, so we have the power, we should have power over what happens to it. No woman, no matter what the circumstances of an unwanted pregnancy, no woman makes this decison lightly. I have a hard time believing there are women out there having abortions as a form of birth control. It is a wrenching, agonizing decison to end a life that's started inside you. Be it from rape or from knowing that there is something genetically wrong or for the sake of your own health or from knowing that you don't have the resources or support system in place to bring a baby into this world. It's agonizing. You can't know unless you've been there.

Your mom had her faith and her family. It's a great comfort when your faith can prescribe your actions. The stronger your faith is, the less doubt, less regret you face. But I didn't have that. I had neither faith nor family.

DANTE  
I haven't fathered a child, but I do know for sure that if I were to accidentally get some girl pregnant I would fight tooth and nail for that baby.

LULU  
What happened to "planned for, wanted, loved"?

DANTE  
Look, I understand how difficult the decision must have been for you. And I respect that it was your choice to make. But, I can't help but to think about my mom and wonder what things would be like if she had decided the same thing. I wouldn't be here. I don't know, she could have lived the life of a normal teenager and young adult, maybe gotten married, had her houseful of rugrats when she was good and ready. Maybe she would have had a better life? Or maybe I'm just channeling my self-pitying father by even letting my head go there. But my head is going there, Lulu.

LULU  
The...baby...would have been Jake's age. You know, Liz and Lucky's little boy? I still get this vague pain whenever I see Jake and I remember. I do. I look at Jake and I feel like someone would have to pry my mouth up by toothpicks for me to smile. It is THAT hard. All I do is remember. And there's nothing I can do about it.

These questions of "what if", they're with me for the rest of my life. They've become a part of me, a part of my body. And they can't be answered, Dante.

DANTE  
(pained, in a rush to get away)  
Look, I just need a little space right now to process. I'll meet up with you later okay?

Lulu starts to say something but is left stunned as Dante rushes out of the diner. It is now pouring rain. Lulu eventually overcomes the shock, gathers herself up and leaves the diner. She stands in the rain, allowing herself to be cleansed by it. Gathering her light jacket around her, she continues to walk, staggering, not knowing exactly where she is going.

She has walked away from the road and finds herself at a ramshackle mud room, a remnant of an attachment to a cabin that is no longer standing. She goes in, seeking some shelter from the rain. She's still stunned by Dante's rejection, so much so that even the tears aren't surfacing yet. She stands shivering in the room, not knowing where to go next. Her back in turned to the door and she is looking around for a blanket or something to sit on.

Dante backs into the mud room, and in his distressed state, bumps his hand on a nail protruding from the wall. He curses out with pain, and tries to shake off the injury. He is soaking wet from the rain.

LULU  
Are you okay?

Dante turns suddenly to see Lulu standing, soaked. He's surprised, relieved, ecstatic, all at the same time. He wants to rush to her and take her in his arms. He stays where he is though and scrambles to explain.

DANTE  
Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shut down like that. I don't want you to think I'm rejecting you for the choices you've made. I don't judge you, Lulu. It's the choices you've made, the experiences you've had that have made you into this... remarkable woman standing before me right now. And you are remarkable, Lulu. Strong, beautiful, remarkable...

Lulu is shaking, from the cold, from the rain, and from the earnestness that this beautiful man standing before her has always spoken his every word. He could sell her the moon, and she'd buy it, no questions asked.

Dante takes Lulu's face in his hands and kisses her hard. They stumble a bit and she ends up pinned to an exposed wood wall. Dante's kiss doesn't falter as they stumble. It only grows deeper and Lulu finds her legs giving out under her. Dante holds Lulu up, her feet now off the ground, her knees greedily curling around him. They quickly undo the clothing that needs to be undone and they make love against that wall with a hunger neither has experienced before. Their partnership is now more real, more intense, for having shared a little bit more of their past with each other.


	9. Muy Cute

**A/N This little comic interlude was heavily inspired by chatter on the board. Long time fans of the show may even recognize the bones of an old SnB scene in here. So, thank you zou and tbs and, as always, youtube.:) It's my first try at comedy. Enjoy and please review!**

The bus has stopped running for a night and DANTE and LULU have spent the night in a hotel room near the bus station. Dante is standing shirtless at the sink, lathering up his face with a shaving brush. Lulu is wearing Dante's shirt and is sitting on the sink counter, gazing adoringly at him.

DANTE  
What?

LULU  
Nothing. I'm just trying to remember what things were like before I met you. And I can't. It just feels like I've known you forever. It's kind of weird and disturbing, if you think about it.

Dante looks at her in the eyes with an adoration matching hers and smiles.

DANTE  
Is there an airport nearby or is that just my heart taking off?

Lulu chortles a loud laugh and playfully punches Dante's arm.

LULU  
You just can't stop with the cheesy lines, can you.

Dante shrinks back in mock pain and laughs. He looks back at the mirror to continue lathering up. Lulu continues to gaze at him and finally reaches over and touches the charms around his neck.

LULU  
What are these? What do they mean?

DANTE  
Well, there's the Italian horn that my grandma gave me. It's supposed to protect from the evil eye or something. And then there's my patron saint, from my ma.

Dante picks up his razor to start shaving.

LULU  
What's a patron saint? I mean, who is your patron saint?

DANTE  
(chin flexed in mid-shave, mumbling)  
You know, I can't really talk while I'm doing this...

LULU  
(smiling widely)  
Not a multitasker, are you.

Dante finishes shaving one side of his face and puts the blade under running water to rinse it off.

DANTE  
(laughing)  
Not unless you want me to slit my throat.

He continues to shave. Lulu is having a hard time watching him without touching. She starts to trace her fingers on the tattoo over his left breast and then to trace the edges of the tattoo on his left shoulder.

LULU  
What is this, a bull? What, did you aspire to run bulls when you were a kid back in Bensonhurst?

Dante finishes shaving his neck and rinses the blade again.

DANTE  
No it's my sign, Taurus, you know, the bull? Hey, I never asked you....what's your sign, baby?

LULU  
(laughing)  
Scorpio, you know, the scorpion?

She hooks a finger into a scorpion tail and feigns going for Dante's throat. He responds by flicking some shaving cream at her. He finishes shaving and wipes off lingering bits of the lather on his face and neck. He then grabs Lulu by the waist, roughly pulls her down off the counter, and plants a firm kiss on her mouth.

DANTE  
(smiling brightly through the kiss)  
You're in a mood this morning.

LULU  
I guess you could call it that. So are you going to tell me about your patron saint or do I have to get that information from your mother?

DANTE  
It's St. Bernardine of Siena, patron saint of Carpi...and chest infections. He was an orphan and grew up to become one of those priests with a real gift of the gab. His sermons sometimes lasted over four hours. He was one of the first guys to take the good word to the people of the streets in Italy instead of just sticking to doing these elaborate liturgical rituals and reciting things in Latin that no one could understand.

I was a pretty loudmouthed kid. So at confirmation, when they asked me who I wanted as my patron saint, I naturally picked Bernardine. And then my mother got me the charm.

LULU  
(smiling)  
You? Loudmouthed?

DANTE  
(laughing)  
Yep. He was also known for throwing his whole self into whatever he did, whether it was caring for the sick, or walking across Italy preaching...

LULU  
...or being a cop. I mean, if he had been a cop, he would have thrown himself completely into it, huh? It all makes perfect sense.

Lulu is satisfied with these new bits of trivia she has collected about a guy who she is growing closer to by the day. She gazes at Dante's arms and smiles, then rubs her stomach.

LULU  
You know what? I just realized I'm really really hungry right now. Let's go get some breakfast!

Dante shows a flash of disappointment when he realizes that Lulu's playful mood is not going to be carried over to the bed. He nods and they both finish getting dressed. As they take their bags and leave the room, Dante notices a car in the hotel parking lot with two men in suits sitting in the front seat. He takes Lulu's hand and secrets her into a hidden hallway outside the room.

DANTE  
(huddling closely)  
It looks like we may have some company.

LULU  
You think Sonny has sent someone after you? Dante, you know he would never hurt you knowing what he knows now...that you're his son.

DANTE  
I don't know, Lulu. I don't think I've met these guys before but they look like a couple of Sonny's low-rung thugs to me. All I know is that we need to lose them.

Lulu nods and thinks for a while. She unzips her bag and feels around inside.

LULU  
I may have what we need. Come this way.

Lulu leads Dante further into the hidden hallway, further out of sight of Sonny's men. When they emerge again from the hallway, Lulu is wearing a black wig with the hair in pigtails. Dante is wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, a white undershirt and a plaid shirt over it, with only the top button done.

DANTE  
(mumbling under his breath)  
Where did you get this stuff?

LULU  
Don't ask. The wig is from Maxie's Xena Galaxy Queen costume. In the rush to pack when we were leaving, I guess I just picked it up...thinking it might be...useful...or something.

DANTE  
And who am I supposed to be? Trojus the sex slave?

LULU  
Shhh. Just follow my lead, okay?

The two walk towards the car where Sonny's men are sitting. Lulu peers into the car window and waves goofily. The men step out of the car.

LULU

(speaking in a Southern accent)

Yoohoo, excuse me? I don't mean to bother ya'll but are you two from New York? Cuz you sure look like you might be from New York. Nice to meet ya'll. I'm Mae and this here is my boyfriend...Bernardo. Wouldn't you know it, my boyfriend and I just met the cutest couple, who said they were from New York. Didn't we Bernie, weren't they the cutest?

DANTE  
Si, si, muy...cute.

LULU  
Yeah, they were staying the night here and we met up at the ice machine back there and had a nice chat a while ago. They told us they were done with this particular leg of the bus trip and were taking another bus out west. Something about going to Cali-fornia. Now me, I'd never take a bus all the way 'cross the country, no matter how much I liked the guy I was travelin' with. Ain't that right, sugar?

DANTE  
No, no travel unless ju really like, ju know.

LULU  
But those two? Those were two kids on a brink of a great love affair, I tell you what. I can just sense these things. Can't I honey.

DANTE  
Si, she know love ben she sees it.

The two men look at each other quizzically and look back at Lulu.

THUG #1  
Why are you telling us this, ma'am?

LULU  
Well, I just figured since they was from New York and ya'll are from New York, ya'll would know each other, is all.

The two men look at each other again and shrug.

THUG #2  
Well, thank you, miss, for letting us know about your friends.

LULU  
Oh, my pleasure! I love to help. You know whenever I meet anyone who knows anyone from the little town I grew up in Georgia, I just love to hear about it. Sit down with a cuppa coffee and gossip about, I don't know, whatever is going on in town, who's sleeping with who, whose kid got into what kind of trouble, that sort of thing...

Dante grabs Lulu's elbow to lead her away. He salutes his baseball cap as a goodbye to the men.

DANTE  
(through gritted teeth)  
Come on...vamanos...the bus.

Dante and Lulu scramble away to the bus station. The two men get back in their cars, and drive off in another direction.

Dante is still holding Lulu's elbow as they collapse into their seats on the bus, laughing.

DANTE  
Well, that's something I never had to do in all my years of undercover work: put on an offensively bad fake accent. I don't even speak Spanish! A smattering of Italian maybe.

LULU  
Too bad I didn't have a pompadour wig and an uzi in my bag. You could have played an offensively bad Italian.

DANTE  
(pulling on Lulu's pigtail)  
Love this black hair on you though.

LULU  
(smiling brightly)  
Never bored with me, are you, officer.


	10. Moral Reasoning

DANTE and LULU are on the bus, dressed again as themselves, heading further south along the Eastern seaboard.

LULU  
You think we actually lost those two guys back there? My trick with the disguises seemed so lame. Hard to believe they actually bought it.

DANTE  
It looks like they fell for it. Or for your Southern charm. Whatever the case, I haven't seen any signs of them since we left Georgia.

LULU  
Kind of scary to think that such idiots walk around with guns all day.

DANTE  
Organized crime attracts all kinds, Lulu. There are guys who get into the life because they have no marketable skills whatsoever. They just do really well at taking orders and throwing muscle around.

And then there are guys who are smart, greedy, and ambitious enough to build an empire off of the thuggery of those in the lower rungs. They worm their way around laws, taking whatever they want from whomever they want, whenever they want.

LULU  
Like Sonny.

Dante responds by throwing his hands up.

LULU (con't)  
You can say the same thing about people who go into the military or law enforcement. There's pure muscle on one end, and the ones pulling the strings on the other. All of them carry guns. All of them kill.

DANTE  
It's a difference of ethics. It's the difference between killing for the good of others and killing just to get ahead. There's killing that saves lives, and then there's killing whose sole purpose is destruction and fomenting unrest so that the guy on top can swoop in and steal as much as he can from the people left reeling in the wake of the violence.

LULU  
You could say the same thing about war, Dante. That it's about creating unrest so a few people on top maintain control and get rich.

I mean someone has to hold that position of power on top. Isn't it just about power and who gets to maintain it? Lawful or unlawful seems kind of beside the point sometimes.

I mean...how do you know, Dante? How do you know that you're living a moral life and people like Sonny aren't?

DANTE  
I don't think morality just happens, Lulu. It's constructed. Sure, we have this inherent need to cooperate...no man is an island, and all that. But the development of morality is consciously constructed by every individual person. It's built on choice and free will, not innate predispositions. No one is born immoral. And you can't teach someone to live morally. It's built inside of you by your own take on past experiences.

And you ask yourself: do you live morally because you want to avoid punishment? Do you live morally because you see what's in it for you? Because you want people to like you? Or because it's the law?

Or do you live according to an inner code that says that laws are open to interpretation? They're worth following as long as the most people are protected?

Or do you live morally because you can genuinely imagine what it would be like to walk in another's shoes? You're totally empathic and you just know what's the right thing to do, no matter whether it's useful, or expected, or legal.

LULU  
It all depends, doesn't it? Do you really think about living morally when you're doing it? Isn't it just intuition? How much of living morally is simply just caring about your fellow human beings?

DANTE  
Look, all I know is that there is a system in place and it's a system that works right most of time. I have to believe that it works right most of the time. When we let the system of law work, bad guys are tried fairly and pay for their wrongdoing and the good guys get to go on living their normal, nine to five, lives.

LULU  
(softly)  
I'd like to believe that too, Dante. I just don't know if it always works like that.

Both grow silent as they realize that they've reached an impasse in this irresolvable debate on morality. In their silence, Dante glances sheepishly at Lulu.

DANTE  
You know I really love that you think about all this stuff and you can so passionately share what you're thinking with me.

LULU  
And I love that you're here talking to me and listening and letting me share with you what I think about all this stuff.

They reach for each other's hands at the same time and smile as they entwine fingers. Lulu pulls Dante's hand closer to her and kisses him. With her other hand, she grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him closer for an even deeper kiss. His free hand goes to her hair and behind her neck. Someone in the back of the bus coughs, breaking the spell.

DANTE  
(stammering)  
Bus...uh...we're on a bus.

LULU  
(smiling)  
Yeah.

By the way, where are we going?

DANTE  
End of the line, baby. Miami. I mean, unless you want to keep going down to Key West?

LULU  
(smiling)  
No, Miami works for me.

Dante and Lulu reach Miami in late evening. Having left the bus, they walk into a bar and notice that although the salsa music is blaring, the place is eerily calm. Only a few patrons are there, quietly huddled in booths. Dante and Lulu settle at the bar.

Before they have the chance to order drinks, a shot rings out from the back room.

The few patrons in the bar scramble out hurriedly. Dante puts his arm around Lulu and they duck under the bar. He brings out his phone and hands it to Lulu.

DANTE  
Call 911. Tell them shots have been fired. Stay right here under the bar until it's clear, okay?

LULU  
(flipping open the phone)  
Okay...but where are you going? You're not...?

DANTE  
It's all right Lulu. This is what I do, remember?

He squeezes her shoulders, and then reaches behind him to pull out his gun. With the weapon drawn, he stealthily goes to the back of the bar. He stops at the door and listens. Not hearing anything, he slowly opens the door and steps in.

Inside the room another shot is fired, and then another, from two different directions. Dante ducks behind a file cabinet.

Trying to determine where the shots are coming from, he looks around to the half of the room he can see from his vantage point behind cover. Dante's gaze stops at a figure in the shadows, who is also cowering behind a file cabinet. The figure stands up, takes a shot, and goes quickly back behind the cabinet. The shooter on the other side of the room fires his weapon too and scrambles to a different spot. The figure in Dante's range of vision also moves. Dante sees that it's Sonny. He stares in shock and disbelief.

Sonny turns his head, sees Dante, and stops cold in his tracks, his mouth open in shock. He is frozen and in full range of the shooter, who proceeds to fire off several rounds. Dante leaps to knock Sonny down out of the line of fire. He fires a clean shot at the shooter and hits his mark.

The shooter groans, gasps, and, finally, goes quiet. Dante walks across the room with his weapon drawn, and finds a still, collapsed body. He puts his fingers on the body's neck to confirm that he is dead. He looks around the room to assure that there aren't more shooters lurking in the shadows. Once he sees that it's all clear, Dante tucks his weapon into the back of his jeans.

He turns around and sees Sonny lying on the floor, in a pool of blood. Blood is soaking through Sonny's shirt at his chest and stomach. Dante hurriedly kneels down and takes Sonny's head in his hands. He pulls his hand back out, and it's covered in blood.

DANTE  
(distraught)  
Sonny. Oh, god.

SONNY  
(struggling to speak)  
Dan...Dante? Wh-What are you doing here? You're not supposed...to...be..here. Did he get you? Did that son of a bitch Luis get a shot at you?

Sonny struggles to try to get up. Dante holds his arms down to stop him.

DANTE  
No, Sonny, I'm not hit. But...you...oh, god.

Dante starts to cry. He tries desperately to contain the blood flowing out of Sonny's head. His own hands are swimming in blood.

DANTE (con't)  
Don't move, Sonny. Please...don't move. Help is coming.

Sonny's breath is panicked until he inhales deeply. He then reaches up his hand and pats Dante's face gently.

SONNY  
(softly)  
My boy....my son.

Sonny drifts off into unconsciousness. Dante holds Sonny's head and tries to stifle cries that can't be contained.

DANTE  
(choked shouting, through tears)  
Help, somebody help! A man's been shot!

Lulu rushes into the room with Dante's phone still in her hands. She surveys the scene in disbelief.

LULU  
(speaking into the phone)  
Please, send an ambulance! A man's been shot.

**A/N When I first started this fic, this was as far as I saw it going. Now that I'm here, I can see some new directions the story could take. I don't know yet whether I'll be following the thread. So let's just consider this conditionally complete. In case I don't pick it up again: In my mind, Sonny lives but he's out of the picture for a while, allowing other characters to live and flourish in their own diverse storylines. **

**Thank you for reading! As always, your comments are much appreciated.:)**


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